Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske has a response(ish) to a petition sent to the White House supporting the legalization of hemp. In his "response," Gil reveals either a stunning ignorance about hemp, or a shocking propensity to tell a whopper.

By Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

America's farmers deserve our Nation's help and support to ensure rural America's prosperity and vitality. Federal law prohibits human consumption, distribution, and possession of Schedule I controlled substances. Hemp and marijuana are part of the same species of cannabis plant. While most of the THC in cannabis plants is concentrated in the marijuana, all parts of the plant, including hemp, can contain THC, a Schedule I controlled substance. The Administration will continue looking for innovative ways to support farmers across the country while balancing the need to protect public health and safety.

The amounts of THC found in industrial hemp -- even in the flowers -- are so minute as to be meaningless, since the trichomes contain a preponderance of CBD instead. But the amounts of THC found in hemp fiber are so low as to be undetectable -- that's why hemp fiber products are legal in the United States.

"Extracting THC from industrial hemp and further refining it to eliminate the preponderance of CBD would require such an expensive, hazardous, and time-consuming process that it is extremely unlikely anyone would ever attempt it, rather than simply obtaining high-THC marijuana instead," according to Dr. David P. West, Ph.D., for the North American Industrial Hemp Council.

"I did a lot of work on this and I can't believe the response that the White House gave," said petition author Tom Murphy of Vote Hemp.

"I briefed the guy at ONDCP who wrote the response and I'd bet money and give you odds that this response is not what he wrote," Murphy told Toke of the Town Tuesday afternoon. "He knew the difference!"

So... Seems Gil is either quite misinformed about hemp, or is still lying his ass off.

The latter's actually not unlikely, since, as head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Kerlikowske is forbidden by law from supporting cannabis legalization.

Tom Murphy, Vote Hemp: "I did a lot of work on this and I can't believe the repsonse that the White House gave"

That's right: there are actually laws in place to prevent the implementation of better and saner policies, at least when it comes to the War On Marijuana.

The language of the original petition is as follows:

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

Allow Industrial Hemp to be Grown in the U.S. Once Again

Lost opportunities for farmers and businesses have real consequences. With over $419 million in estimated U.S. retail sales, American companies making hemp products have no choice but to import their raw materials because American farmers continue to fear they will be prosecuted due to an outdated federal policy which confuses non-drug industrial hemp with drug varieties of Cannabis.

Sustainable hemp seed, fiber and oil are already used in nutritious food, textiles, body care and even auto-parts. Many American companies are using imported hemp in their products today.

We urge you to allow U.S. farmers to follow in the footsteps of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, all who were hemp farmers, and once again grow this sustainable and profitable non-drug crop.

More links from around the web!

...this guy is either a lying reprobate for the lobbyists(big pharma, cotton, biofuel, etc) or he is the modern day version of a dimwit. Please replace this ignoramus with one that has intelligence and actually is not a tool...

Everyone needs to educate those around them to the benefits of medical cannabis and the lack of harm for recreational users. Some day enough of us will know the truth and vote accordingly, thus legalizing marijuana for medical purposes if not outright legalization for all.

“all parts of the plant, including hemp, can contain THC, a Schedule I controlled substance.”

Director Kerlikowske,

Your response to the Hemp Petition reads as hopelessly & pathetically confused, when, actually, it’s not really that difficult: the hemp-bearing THC will measure out to a fraction of a percent; France grows hemp from seeds bred to guarantee one tiny fraction of a percent, other nations have their own tiny percentage requirements – none of which are sufficient to provide a THC high. The US could adopt whatever tiny percentage we deem comfortable – and planting those seeds, bred for that tiny percentage of THC, will endanger NO ONE, but they will supply industrial fodder for hundreds of food, fuel and fiber purposes.

It’s exceedingly insulting to both of us to have to pretend at this level.

Does your job description require that you keep yourself uninformed? You know 30 industrial competitor nations are GPS registering hemp plots, right? NO NATION has reported a problem with this arrangement. THIS is what the petitioners sought a response to – other nations are doing this now – they also have laws that make THC a controlled substance, yet they are moving ahead with infrastructure and research, while we remain stuck, stymied by brain-dead bureaucrats lacking the imagination to think outside their tiny, discredited, corrupt box.

You need to revise and extend your remarks – you need to acknowledge the point of the petition and address that, rather than begging off like some old woman.

How is this dumbfuck a Drug Director? He was a fucking police chief. You know what he's qualified for? Finding criminals and arresting them. THAT IS IT. He has no scientific background, no medical background or training, and he doesn't have a single FACT on his side. He's clearly ignorant, under-educated, and unqualified for the position to be speaking about any kind of drug, much less marijuana. This fucking asshole is spewing the same talking points that have been debunked time and time again. Tests show no brain phisology is changed at any age from smoking marijuana. There's no credible amount of THC in hemp and anyone who makes this argument is either a paid goon for the pharmacutical companies, is being fed bunk information, or clearly is bias and doesn't care about facts. This fucker needs to be called out on national news and people should be calling the white house NON STOP to get this fucked fired. If they can fire the 'green jobs czar' / 'clean energy' czar then why is this fucker still working at the white house?

yes we should keep hemp illegal cuz ppl might smoke their shirts and furniture and necklaces and bracelets to get high. OMG get the f- over yourself already and cut the strings from the pharm's, timber companies, ect and legalize the crap already! How hard is it? cures cancer, safer than cigs and alcohol. mutii-billion (yah billion with a B) industry!

"I did a lot of work on this and I can't believe the response that the White House gave,"

By now we should have a pretty good idea that this administration isn't going to respond using scientific logic as promised. Since many retired polititcians are coming out for legalization let's make sure Barry's retired next term so he can start supporting us... again.

The Bush administration's attempt to expand the nation's drug wars to foods and oils containing hemp was shot down Friday by a federal appeals court, which said hemp doesn't get people high and hasn't been outlawed by Congress.The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed sales of hemp foods to resume in March 2002, five months after the Drug Enforcement Administration announced an abrupt nationwide ban. On Friday, the court said the DEA had no authority to reclassify hemp as a dangerous drug without first showing that it has a "high potential for abuse.''

The Prohibitionist’s ScienceI guess we never saw it coming. In 2008 when I heard thePresident say that decisions would or should be madebased on science I never realized that science now mayhave two different meanings. There is real scientific studyand flawed scientific study but they can both be used astrue science under the science umbrella. Like everythingelse now in this country, science can be spun to fit thedesired outcome.I believe we were promised something different. This againis catering to the coservative vote and in particular the femalevote.I will vote in November. In order for my vote to mean something,I will leave the President selection blank. The only way to make astatement. Erode the base.If Obama loses the election and history holds true then therewill be a Democrat controlled congress in 2014. The best wecan hope for…….leave it blank…erode the base

"The overall crime rate inHolland is probably 40 percent higher than the United States,"McCaffrey said. "That's [due to] drugs." However, according tothe Netherlands' Central Planning Bureau, the Dutch murder rate is 1.8 per100,000 people, less than one-quarter of the U.S. murder rate.

Hey, if anyone would like to help get another legalization initiative on the ballot this year, Oregon’s IP-24 campaign needs volunteers to help transcribe signed petition sheets into Excel spreadsheets (in order to check against the statewide voter database to determine whether signatures are valid or not).The campaign has already gathered 90,000 raw signatures and has until July 6 to submit 116,000 valid signatures. If interested in helping out, send an email to: csle.volunteers@gmail.com.

If all fossil fuels and their derivatives, as well as trees for paper and construction were banned in order to save the planet, reverse the Greenhouse Effect and stop deforestation, then there is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of providing the overall majority of the world’s paper and textiles; meeting all of the world’s transportation, industrial and home energy needs; simultaneously reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil, and cleaning the atmosphere all at the same time. That substance is the same one that did it all before, Cannabis Hemp

The first marijuana law in America was enacted in Jamestown colony in 1619. It ordered all farmers to grow cannabis. More mandatory hemp cultivation laws were enacted in Massachusetts (1631), Connecticut (1632), and the Chesapeake Colonies. Meanwhile in England, the crown decreed that foreigners who grew cannabis would be rewarded with full British citizenship, while those who refused to grow hemp were often fined. Cannabis was legal tender in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800's, mainly to encourage farmers to grow more. Americans could even pay their taxes with cannabis for more than 200 years. Nowadays, most school children know that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations. Few know that Jefferson was also a smuggler. While envoy to France, he masterminded the smuggling of some particularly good hemp seeds from China to Turkey. At the time, the Mandarin rulers valued their cannabis seeds so highly that exportation was a capital offense.

Can we please just vote to disband the DEA already? Every time we get a response from anyone on these topics it seems they either think we're complete idiots who have absolutely no access to scientific data, or that they really are clueless and believe the nonsense they're spouting. I don't know which would be worse.

I'm sick of it. Who are they protecting? Certainly not the American people. The money they make from the groups who profit from marijuana prohibition? Hmmm... Yeah, that one sounds more like it.

Seriously, open your eyes government officials. This isn't the 1980s. People know that you're lying now. The people are getting tired of you and your corruption. You need to get your act together and start doing things that are actually in the best interest of the people (You know, that country you pledge allegiance to? America? Of the people, by the people, for the people? Or has that been replaced by those little green pieces of paper for you?)

If you don't change your ways you're going to find a revolution on your hands.

Had the same thought Reefer. Industrial hemp pollen would wreak havoc on recreational cannabis grows. In traditional hemp fiber growing areas the male going to flower is a signal the crop is ready for harvest (seed crops go the distance). Hemp fiber is about a 100 day crop and most of the staminate plants do not get to pollenate much when done correctly.

Yeah, and the idiot cops say they don't want fields of cannabis hemp because they couldn't tell the difference b/t the two. Anyone with any knowledge knows that if you breed a high THC 'marijuana' plant is bred with a low THC Hemp plant, the resulting plants would have less THC. For an outdoor grower, fields of hemp would be the worst enemy. Hemp pollen can travel as much as 16 miles. That means even indoor growers would be affected; they would need to install HEPA filters on the INCOMING air supply.

He is just doing the job he is tasked to do by law. He is legally unable to tell the truth about drugs. To do so would risk possible job loss as well as prosecution (for telling the truth, not for torturing innocent Iraqis....but I digress) Enjoy.